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Persephone
Persephone holds the eternal love of two elder gods, her husband Hades and her mother Demeter, and is thus well cared for but that does not mean she cannot take care of herself. Persephone is a goddess whose abilities have shaped her into a well-balanced being, giving equal attention to matters of life and death, stasis and change, chaos and order. A shrewd diplomat, Persephone is a skilled politician who holds great power in the courts of the Underworld and in the spirit courts of nature. Persephone is a faithful wife to her husband and the two's passion is one of the most celebrated romances on Elyisum. History Early Life Persephone, like her cousin Athena, was born in the otherworldy prison of Tartarus while it was under the Titans’ control. In fact, it was the act of her very creation that was the reason for her parents’ incarcerations as paranoid Kronos assumed that his lieutenants, Poseidon and Demeter, had only coupled out of some effort to create their own divine army to overthrow the Titans. While in prison, Persephone and her mother took advantage of their stay and learned many of Gaia’s secrets of Earth’s natural ways. In the outside world, Zeus' escapades started producing followers that flocked to Zeus' secret refuge to join his cause in ever increasing numbers. Without his steward spreading his tale, Kronos' power began to wane as Zeus discovered that he was becoming more powerful as his own legend increased. When Zeus' powers had grown able to rival a Titan's, Zeus decided to make a strategic strike against the Titans. Leading his children and some key allies in a raid, Zeus broke into Tartarus and freed his spirit brothers and sisters, and for the first time, met his daughter Athena. But Zeus likewise discovered that his first wife, Metis, was unable to leave Tartarus due to her Titan physiology having bound her to the prison dimension's reality and was unable to exist in Earth's own reality. They had planned to free Gaia as well, but Metis insisted they should not do that. As the first naturally born goddess of the race which would later be known as the Olympians, Persephone was a fully grown adult by the time of her release from Tartarus and she played a significant role in the rebellion against the Titans, working closely with Hades as an intelligence operative (and secretly engaging in a covert affair) while traveling the countryside with her mother to turn humans and nature spirits alike against the Titans. When the heavily injured Ares and Hephaestus returned to camp with word of Hera's capture, the gods decided that the time they had been waiting for was now. And so, to rescue Hera, the Gods rallied their allies and made an assault on Othrys. In the melee, a great deal of ichor and blood was shed. There were gods whose names were lost to history that died on that battlefield, but in the end, the three brothers of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades took down their creator. Pride of the New Gods After the Titans’ usurpation and subsequent division of powers, Persephone became the Goddess of Spring, Morning Dew, Returns, Renewal, Secrets, Mourning, Grief, and Hope. As a result of her eclectic paradigm of power, Persephone was able to continue her secret affair with Hades until the two decided to be married. Persephone’s mother was quite upset over the matter and for a time, Persephone nearly gave up on the whole relationship citing that as a goddess of nature, her place was on Earth. But Hades introduced her to the Gardens of the Underworld and had her taste of an Stygian Pomegranate. The sweet taste of the fruit was enough to convince Persephone that there was beauty in the Land of the Dead that needed her care as well. With her marriage to Hades, Persephone took on a much more prominent role in the pantheon. She would become the Goddess of Reincarnation in addition to her title of Lady of the Underworld. The two only birthed a single child, a son known as Zagreus. By all rights of such an esteemed birth, the young God Zagreus should have been afforded all the luxury he could imagine, but his birth was a cursed one, having drawn in the tainted essence of the Underworld. After a difficult infancy, Zagreus lived to childhood and began to show an aptitude for channeling the essence that plagued him. Hoping that fostering this gift would result in recovery from his frailty, Zagreus’ parents had him shadow Hades. It was while accompanying his father in Tartarus that three of the Titans broke from their prison and tore young Zagreus limb from limb before his father’s eyes. Hades cast the Titans into the oblivion in his rage. After, Hades cradled his dying son and used his powers to keep the Thanatosi from claiming his son’s spirit, thus unnaturally preventing Zagreus the mercy of death. The Quorum of Six called an intervention to discuss Hades’ abuse of his duty. Though the gods agreed that Hades was in the wrong, Zeus decided that a compromise would be reached, lest they risk earning Hades’ eternal ire. Using the dark magic of Hecate, Zagreus’ heart was removed and made into a potion. Semele of Nysa was a willing priestess that drank the potion and became pregnant. Just three days later, Semele gave birth to a fully divine child and died in the process. In honor of her sacrifice, Hades renamed his reborn son ‘Dionysus’, meaning ‘the God of Nysa’. After this trauma, Persephone and Hades chose not to have further offspring, but they did take paternal roles over many Underworld beings like Melinoe, Hecate, and the Furies, raising these being up into higher stations than they held previously. Elysium It is worth noting that Persephone is the being known for giving Elysium its name, naming it after her once favorite part of the Underworld which was lost during the Great Voyage. On the rare occasion Hades takes a holiday from his duties, he will trust his faithful subordinate Charon with his bidente and joins Persephone in the mortal realm, often visiting remote villas under one of his auspicious disguises as an undertaker, wealthy prince or a spy from a foreign land. Recently, Persephone has been busy working alongside her husband to uncover the masterminds behind the Broken Book heresy cult. Role in NeOlympus Abilities Goddess: '''The first natural born god, Persephone is the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. By birthright she has an instrinsic connection to nature. '''Daughter of Nature: '''Heir to the title of ‘Mother of Nature’, Persephone has considerable influence among the Court of Nature‘s nymphs and spirits. '''Stygian Lady: By marriage to Hades, she is also the Lady of the Underworld and her word is second only to Hades while in that domain, and by her guile and Hades’ love for her, she often has the true final say. Goddess of the Spring & Renewal: Though Zeus commands when seasons can change, Persephone is the goddess that oversees this season specifically. As such, Persephone is given considerable power over the environment, able to command elements from outside her normal purview during this time of year. Goddess of Secrets: Due to her time working with Hades in the Usurpation, Persephone became quite adept at discovering and keeping secrets. After the Titans’ imprisonment, Persephone’s skill became divinely precise. As a result, Persephone is aware of all acts of deception in her presence and has the ability to pry secrets from a weak-willed being‘s mind. Goddess of Reincarnation & Rebirth: Persephone’s connection to both nature and the Underworld makes her an indeal overseer for the reincarnation of souls. As a result of this, Persephone can look upon any mortal and know all their prior identities from previous lives. She also is the final arbitrator of when any being is granted a full resurrection and allowed to defy death. The Living Key: All the Elder Gods were allowed to choose a token to receive an endowment to open the Divine Gates. Demeter chose her daughter Persephone to act as her Divine Key, thus granting Persephone the ability to come and go between all dimensional barriers without any permissions required or consequences rendered upon her. Keeper of the Stygian Flame: The Underworld counterpart to the Empyrean Flame, the Stygian Flame is actually not fire but the pure essence of the Underworld. Relationships Persephone's only romantic relationship has been with her husband, Hades. Hades: Persephone and Hades began in secrect, having fell in love while they were gathering intelligence against the Titans. As a result of the eclectric paradigm of power, Persephone was able to continue their secret affair until the two decided to be married. The two have been committed to one another ever since. Dionysus: Her only child, Persephone was traumatized by the near death of her son. Following this trauma, she decided against having any more children. 'Melinoe, Hecate and The Furies: '''Following the events with Dionysus, Persephone and Hades chose not to have further offspring, but they did take paternal roles over many Underworld beings like Melinoe, Hecate, and the Furies, raising these being up into higher stations than they held previously. 'Demeter: '''Demeter and Persephone share an extremely close relationship. Demeter was devastes when Persephone had married Hades in secret, so much so that she told Zeus Hades had kidnapped Persephone. She eventually got over it and the two resumed their close relationship. Trivia * In Mythology, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter and Zeus. In NeOlympus, she's the daughter of Demeter and Poseidon. * In Mythology, Hades kidnapped Persephone and forced her into marriage by trapping her in the Underworld. In NeOlympus, that was just a lie told by Demeter in her rage. * In Mythology, Dionysus was not the son of Persephone and Hades, but the son of Zeus. * Like the rest of the Gods, Persephone does not have a set sexuality. However, she remains in a monogamous relationship (Unlike most Gods). Category:Gods Category:Principal Pantheon